Historically metal balusters have been attached to metal handrails. When a wood handrail is desired, it is still attached to a sub-rail of metal which is subsequently attached to the metal balusters. Also, metal balusters have historically been attached to a metal base rail that is attached directly to the floor or stair, or is located several inches above the floor level and is attached at 5 to 6 foot intervals to a newel post. When metal balusters are attached directly to a floor or stair, the common method is to use a flanged base plate.
More recently, a new method of attachment has evolved. Metal balusters are glued or otherwise fastened directly to a wood handrail and base, omitting the sub-rail and base rail. This allows the components to be assembled by an installer at the job site, instead of in a metal fabricators shop. This saves significant time and money. This also puts important control of the installation schedule in the hands of the building contractor.
However, identification of simple, cost effective methods of connecting these components has provided significant challenges to the construction industry.
When portions of a baluster which contact the base and handrail are generally round, it is simple for the installer to drill a similarly sized round hole for the insertion of the baluster. However, many balusters have end cross-sections which are not round. Frequently, these balusters have generally square cross-sections.
The two most common techniques for dealing with this situation have been to chisel a square hole in the base or handrail, or to drill a round hole large enough to accept the square baluster and cover the resulting gaps with an escutcheon. Both of these methods present significant drawbacks.
The process of chiseling square holes in the wood base and handrail is both time consuming and requires significant skill to create a smooth, tight-fitting, aligned opening. In spite of these difficulties, consumer preference and certain railing styles often require installation of balusters without the use of escutcheons.
Even in those cases where the use of escutcheons is desirable, the escutcheons presently available are generally manufactured by sand casting or metal stamping. These processes have significant disadvantages. Sand castings require significant clean up before use to provide both dimensional requirements and physical appearance, while metal stamping is limited in the variations of appearance of the finished product.
In some cases it is necessary or preferable to attach the baluster to the base or handrail without drilling a hole large enough to receive the baluster into the base or handrail. Unfortunately, connection hardware presently available utilizes exposed mechanical fasteners in a flanged escutcheon which diminishes the final appearance of the railing assembly.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a device and method to attach balusters to bases and handrails which did not require chiseling or escutcheons. In addition, if escutcheons are desirable, then the escutcheons would be inexpensive, with controlled dimensions, and improved finished appearance. Finally, if large holes are not desirable in the base or handrail, then escutcheons that utilize mechanical fasteners having a substantially concealed fastening method.